Some of us don't like to plagiarize the ideas of others, but maybe giving them credit for it means it's not stealing.

Specifically, a piece by ESPN.com writer Scoop Jackson this week hit the nail on the head. He asked why, if Major League Baseball has the goods on steroid cheaters, notably but not only including Alex Rodriguez, why are negotiations needed at all?

The A-Rod mess is playing out exactly as MLB should not want. Rather than announce that Rodriguez is done for 50 games or two years or life or whatever, MLB is allowing this to drag on for weeks, providing a story that will compete with the unfolding playoff races on a daily basis.

It was first thought that no announcement would come to compete with the All-Star Game, then the Hall of Fame ceremonies that went all but overlooked because the real story of Cooperstown 2013 was about who did not get in, not who did.

Now they could come Monday, according to sources. The worst chapter, though, has taken place only lately.

MLB has entered into bargaining talks with A-Rod's impressive legal team, trying to hammer out an agreement that satisfies all sides.

When Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis threw out eight White Sox players for fixing the 1919 World Series, he did not hammer out an agreement. He made a draconian decision and that was that.

Were Landis to do that today, there would likely be a trail of litigation that could have put Shoeless Joe Jackson and the rest back on the field for at least the time of the appeal. There was no players' union then and far less regard for the rights of the besmirched, who in that case were actually found legally not guilty but still never played again.

Nonetheless, MLB's willingness to engage in prolonged negotiations with Rodriguez exposes its concern that Selig's own draconian measures won't hold up if tested in court. Even people who want him to succeed are wondering whether his tactics could stand such a challenge.

Ryan Braun took his 50-game penalty without protest, but Rodriguez has promised to fight.

If he does so and wins, the entire set of Biogenesis-related penalties could be jeopardized and baseball's Alamo-like stand against steroids could crumble.

It is notable that more than ever, players are rallying around the commissioner. A powerful union that once fought any attempts at regulation from the outside is now standing up for a cleaner game.

They are Selig's most powerful allies. But if the union decides that Selig is running roughshod over the rights of a player - even a player they dislike and distrust as much as they do Rodriguez - they may feel they no choice but to defend him on those grounds.

In the meantime, Rodriguez has been playing rehab games in Trenton and says he expects to suit up for the Yankees on Monday. The Yankees have not ruled that out.

If this circus returns to the big tent this week, and if Rodriguez plays a single inning in the major leagues this week, Selig's effort to clean up the game might be irreparably compromised.

It still hasn't been explained why the Biogenesis suspensions will be handed out piecemeal. Braun got the boot, but at least eight or nine other cases (down from what was first reported as at least 20) are hanging in the wind.

That affected trade deadline decisions, notably Detroit's sudden interest in Boston shortstop Jose Iglesias. Jake Peavy pitched for the Red Sox Saturday night because the Tigers had to act in case Jhonny Peralta was suspended, and made a three-team deal possible with the Red Sox and White Sox.

Playoff races will be affected, no matter what happens. What will be most affected is the respect MLB receives for its effort to confront its drug problem head-on.

Playing footsie with Rodriguez, or for that matter negotiating with any targeted players, raises questions of whether MLB is still being intimidated by the superstars who have smeared its reputation.

Who is running this investigation, the accusers or the accused? How much negotiating would take place if it were not Rodriguez but some backup catcher on a last-place team?

If A-Rod is deemed guilty, why does the penalty have to meet with his approval?

Baseball's reputation hangs on how these questions are answered. The protracted negotiations with Rodriguez have hurt the momentum behind this effort, and that momentum could be ruined if he plays a single inning for the Yankees this week.